Life Got in the Way

And don't you just hate it when that happens?  I know I do.  I've been noticeably absent from posting on my blog because of it.  But I definitely haven't been idle.  My big project was changing employers.  I usually stay away from talking about work because, after all, this is a genealogy blog.  But I'm so excited about this new position I just couldn't help but mention that I've moved over to a different association where I'm part of the professional development team...education for public works employees.  I've always loved learning new things myself so helping others continue learning is definitely up my alley.

And I haven't been idle on the genealogy front either.  Here's what I'm currently working on:

• I've tried to ramp up working on my sources and citations.  Have I mentioned how much I hate citations?  I know they're not the big deal I'm making them out to be but I'll admit it, I stress out over whether I'm doing them right.  I really need to get a copy of Evidence Explained and read it but it's not in my budget right now unfortunately.  So for now I'll continue to try and figure out my citations using Family Tree Maker and the ProGenealogist Genealogy Citation Guides online.
• Speaking of working on my sources, I've been ordering vital records and finds from the North Dakota State University archives as my pocketbook will allow.  I've got a surprising amount of documents to save/scan, sort and attach to my tree in Family Tree Maker.
• I dug in and worked hard on my organization one weekend.  I'm utilizing the system set out in Eliminating Genealogy Clutter by Sherene Henrie Whiting with one or two tweaks.  I think this is a great system but I don't have a lot of room for binders.  On the other hand, I have plenty of file cabinet space for hanging folders.  I'm not even close to being done but I think I've got a very good start.

Working hard on my genealogy organization and filing!

• The spousal unit and I traveled to Iowa and sat down for a day of genealogy and family time with the Iowa family branch.  We had fun, shared some genealogy and made some VERY interesting discoveries!  Let's just say when my puzzle pieces matched with their puzzle pieces we made a couple of full (or almost full) pictures.  It was very exciting.
• I mentioned earlier that I was the recipient of a RAOGK (Random Act of Genealogical Kindness) when a non-relative happened upon some family ephemera and was kind enough to be willing to return it to our family.  You can read about that RAOGK here.  I was surprised to receive another email from this kind stranger letting me know he'd been contacted by the flea market seller again and had come into possession of one last piece of the family ephemera.  I feel very fortunate that he was willing to be the messenger to pass that last piece to me last weekend and a photo of my first cousin (once removed) has returned home.

A six-year-old Harold Wilkinson returned to the family fold

• The spousal unit and I also dropped in on the North Dakota family branch and got to spend a little time talking with them...which, for me, inevitably leads to genea-talk.  The few hours we had with them turned out to be a few hours too little when we started talking about my father, who passed away a little over a year ago.  It's fun to hear stories and thoughts from other family members about the people you love.  I haven't talked much about my North Dakota family because I was working on my DAR paperwork (which is on the maternal side and not the paternal side, where the North Dakota connection comes in) but North Dakota has become a very special place for me in the last couple of years thanks to the kindness of family and friends there, so I'm sure you'll be hearing about that side of the family in the future.

WHEW!  In between all of that I'm still attending as many genealogy education events as I can.  I've participated in some great webinars recently and I'm hoping to use some of what I've learned very soon.  I've been using the heck out of the Ancestry subscription the spousal unit gifted me and even broke down and put a public tree out there in hopes of getting some nibbles on my tree.

So here's to getting back on the blog-wagon...I can't wait to post some of my recent discoveries!

Surprise!

With the time off from work I had around Christmas time I devoted some time to beginning work on D1's genealogy.  I had no idea what I would find or if it would be difficult to find information on his family but I was prepared for some quality time on different genealogy sites in search of information.  I was pleasantly surprised with my first foray onto Ancestry.com to discover there were others out there who had done quite a bit of research into different parts of his family.

Like a good genealogist I began entering the information to prove into my database.  I'm always hesitant to use GEDCOM files I find online.  I'm just a little overly cautious, so I choose to re-enter the information manually.  It's more time consuming but it also allows me to get to know each and every person I enter so I can usually remember one or two things about each person I add, plus I can verify the information I add.  In my opinion, those reasons alone balance out the time and effort it takes to enter the information manually.

I spent hours each day on my time off looking at different family trees on Ancestry, checking source documents and adding names to the family file.  D1 thought the amount of time I spent doing genealogy over Christmas break was pretty humorous and he began to joke about it with his family.  It's all good though, because I got the last laugh.  I made it back to his 10th great grandfather and began entering the information and was surprised to get the following error message from Family Tree Maker:

Whaaaaa?????  What was this??  This was an error message I'd never received before!  No, there was no way we shared an ancestor.  I was sure I'd made a mistake in my entry of individuals.  So I checked the list of children for each Caleb and Hannah Knapp...and they matched.  To the name, date and place of each event listed for each child.  So I checked the source documentation to make sure these were the correct connections.  And they were.  Unbelievably, my husband and I share a common relative from the mid-1600s!  My 8th great grandfather was his 10th great grandfather.  I couldn't help it, I started to laugh.  Poor D1 didn't really find as much humor in it as I did.  He just didn't get why it was so funny, but it was hilarious for me.  The maternal unit thought it was pretty funny and dear brother thought it was pretty funny, so maybe it's a genealogy humor thing.

I haven't done any research into the Knapp side of my family but after I told the maternal unit about my discovery and the possibilities of additional Daughters of the American Revolution patriots, she mentioned she had heard they were a pretty large and prominent family in early American history.  I'm having a very hard time focusing on just one genealogy project right now, LOL.  I want so badly to start working on supplemental patriots for DAR, even though I haven't even received notification of acceptance of my initial DAR paperwork.  On the other hand I really want to see what else I can find on D1's family.  His 2nd great grandfather died in France during World War I and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.  I definitely want to look into him a little more and see what I can find out from the National World War I Museum's research center.  Then there's the rumored Native American connection in D1's family, the woman who lived in the dugout that my mother-in-law remembers, and the part of the family my mother-in-law would like to know more about.  I feel so ADD right now, LOL.

So many projects, so little time for genealogy...what surprises have you found in your family?

Tombstone Tuesday: Elsa Sophia Altman

Welcome to Tombstone Tuesday!  Today we're looking at the tombstone of my paternal first cousin, twice removed, Elsa Sophia Altman located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery.

Tombstone of Elsa S. Altman
located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Elsa Sophia was the ninth of seventeen children of Robert Altman and Albertina Amelie (Lange) Altman.  She had five brothers (three older and two younger) and eleven sisters (five older and six younger).

Elsa Sophia was born 13 November 1902 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  She died 26 August 1903 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Her tombstone inscription reads "A little flower of love that blossomed but to die."  She's buried in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.

Tombstone Tuesday: Laura & Clara Altman

It's Tuesday again and you know what that means!  Time for another Tombstone Tuesday.  Continuing our journey through Anselm Lutheran Cemetery, today's tombstone belongs to two of my paternal cousins, twice removed, Laura and Clara Altman.

Laura & Clara Altman's tombstone
located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Clara was the second of seventeen children of Robert Altman and Albertina Amelie (Lange) Altman.  She had five brothers (all younger) and eleven sisters (one older and ten younger).

Laura was the third of seventeen children of Robert Altman and Albertina Amelie (Lange) Altman.  She had five brothers (all younger) and eleven sisters (two older and nine younger).

Clara and Laura were both born on 14 March 1895 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  They died 15 March 1895 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  They are buried together in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Their tombstone inscription reads: "There we shall meet again."  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.

Tombstone Tuesday: Florence Bertha Irene Altman

Welcome to Tombstone Tuesday!  Today we're still looking at family tombstones in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Today's tombstone belongs to my paternal first cousin, twice removed, Florence Bertha Irene Altman.

Tombstone for Florence Bertha Irene Altman
(tombstone only reads Irene B. F. Altman)
located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Florence Bertha Irene was the eleventh of seventeen children of Robert Altman and Albertina Amelie Lange.  She had four brothers (three older and one younger) and eleven sisters (six older and five younger).

Florence Bertha Irene was born 16 December 1905 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  She died 28 May 1907 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota at the of 17 months old.  She's buried in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.